BRAC’s mission is to empower low-income Bangladeshis to improve their own lives through its innovative, multi-system programming. Part of BRAC’s mandate includes improving access to financial services for those living in remote, underserved areas. GRID Impact brought its collective members’ expertise in mobile money, behavioral science and human-centered design to bear on this project to design initiatives to increase the use of bKash, BRAC’s mobile money program.
Card sorting
Getting feedback on ideas from end users and stakeholders is always part of our process.
Creating desirability
Early brainstorming around creating desirability for the idea of mobile apas or mobile “aunties”.
Bringing Ideas to Life
A BRAC staffer hard at work during the ideation phase.
Close-up
bKash is BRAC’s mobile money program designed to increase financial inclusion and participation.
Year
2016
Services
Behavioral Research
Capacity Building
Partner(s)
Approach
GRID Impact relied on field visits and research interviews with rural Bangladeshi women to better understand how mobile money is currently used by BRAC clients. The team used these insights and observations to inform an initial set of concepts that were rapid prototyped by BRAC staff and underwent more user-testing.
Outcome
GRID Impact oversaw the ideation and development of a Mobile Apa (in English, “Mobile Auntie) program that trained influential female community members in the use of bKash and positioned these women as mobile money evangelists, troubleshooters and experts in their communities.
